Fire Emblem: Gaiden
by Matthew Aethin
Summary: A retelling, expansion, and, at some points, embellishment of the plot of Fire Emblem: Gaiden. And this time, the plot can be followed, characters have depth, and it's in English! Please note I have taken slight artistic liberty with several of the names, but they should all be recognizable. Biggest changes: Silk to Circe, Paison to Pius.
1. Part 1, Prologue

**Part 1, Prologue.**

Valencia—the western continent. From the stark mountain ranges of the northwest to the lush green southern forests, from the dark thickets of the northeast to the open, midland savannahs, Valencia was a place as diverse as the people within it. Its varied landforms mirrored its varied people. As the northern lands were harsh and unsuited for farming, its inhabitants pursued trades like hunting, fishing, and mercenary work. Their fantastic work ethic led to the idealization of hard labor, physical strength, and diligence. The midlands and southern peninsula, however, were rich in natural resources, and the people developed advanced agriculture and livestock-raising techniques. The southern population enjoyed their relaxed lifestyle and reaping great success from their efforts.

These differing views on life attracted the attention of two sibling gods Mila and Doma. Doma was fierce but fair, and he valued strength and diligence. Mila, on the other hand, was an idealist, and she dreamed of one day building a utopia where all could live in peaceful leisure. Naturally, the northern people tended to side with Doma, and the southern folk with Mila.

Eager to prove the superiority of their ideals, the two gods manipulated the human masses with promises of prosperity in exchange for their loyalty. Spurred by the gods, the people of each region rose up against those of the other, creating a great rift of animosity between the two halves of the continent.

The history books don't know who or what started the war, it is known that little could stand in its way once it started. Records say that the conflict caused the greatest casualties in the history of Valencia. For decades, the avid supporters of Mila and Doma clashed and fell, with each generation picking up the tattered, blood-soaked war standards of the last. After eighty-eight years of bloodshed, the death toll became so great that humankind began to die out; only then did Doma and Mila realize what a catastrophe their fighting had caused. Therefore, in order to preserve humanity, they made a promise to each other and to their people to never again meddle in the affairs of mankind. In addition, as part of the pact, the land of Valencia was divided in two, so that Doma had patronage of the north, and Mila of the south. This promise, which rushed in a new era of peace, marked the first year of the Valencian Calendar.

Though the two factions did remain at peace, the gods broke their promises not to involve themselves with mankind, and they helped their people build their civilization into powerful kingdoms which functioned according to each god's ideals. Mila's southern country became the lush Kingdom of Sofia, and Doma's northern country became the militaristic Kingdom of Rigel. Though they began in prosperity as the gods had promised long ago, both kingdoms gradually began to worsen under their extremism. In Sofia, the desire for living in total harmony caused the royals to become indolent, and they grew corrupt and complacent while many people suffered. In Rigel, on the other hand, the nobles forgot the value of kindness and forgiveness, and exhaustion became increasingly more common among the common citizens, as many were run ragged.

Nevertheless, good and just people still existed among the nobles, and thanks to their efforts, peace managed to continue between the two countries for many generations. However, this peace began to crumble from within when in the year 590, High General Dozar of Sofia machinated to seize the Sofian throne by arranging the deaths of the royal family. Queen Lipricia had passed away only months before giving birth to Princess Anteze, so if King Lima IV and Anteze were out of the picture, there would be no one of royal blood left to inherit the throne, and the right of succession would pass to Dozar, the highest-ranking and most trusted military officer.

Dozar's subordinate, General Maisen, learned of Dozar's plan of regicide and attempted to defend the royal family from the traitors. However, Maisen was defeated, and Dozar usurped the throne. Maisen only just managed to escape with his life to the remote village of Rahm in southwestern Sofia, taking with him his infant adopted children, Alm and Cellica. Dozar framed Maisen for being the mastermind of the royal family's assassination, but far away in Rahm, they remained relatively safe, just out of reach of the capital's range of influence.

With the royal family gone, Dozar successfully proclaimed himself king of Sofia. King Dozar, however, was unfit to be a leader, and under his rule, the kingdom fell into disorder. Rather than attend to his duties as king, he, in attempt to cover up his guilt, had his fellow conspirators executed, accusing them of having collaborated with Maisen. After all of his collaborators were dead, Dozar, cursing himself for not being able to prevent Maisen's escape, became obsessed with finding Maisen by any means necessary. Claiming publicly that he wanted to bring the last of the royals' murderers to justice, Dozar had armed troops scour the countryside for Maisen.

When the danger spread even to Rahm Village in the year 600, Maisen, knowing that Dozar would come for his children as well, sent ten-year-old Cellica away to live on Nova, a small and relatively unimportant island off the southeastern coast of Sofia, where he hoped she would be safer. There, she was trained in fencing and the use of magic under the protection of a long-time ally of Maisen, the sage Norman. Alm, on the other hand who was the same age, remained with Maisen in Rahm, and he was instructed in the art of swordsmanship so that he would be ready for Dozar's forces should they come to the village.

In 604, fed up with Dozar's neglect of his subjects, many people of Sofia decided to join together in order to overthrow his rule of despotism. The rebels, calling themselves the Sofian Liberation Army, began gathering recruits from all over Sofia, building up strength in order to take on the military. In order to quell the rebellion, Dozar secretly petitioned King Rudolf I of Rigel for assistance. King Rudolf agreed to an alliance, and Rigel began supplying Dozar with resources, which enabled Dozar to turn the course of the civil war in his favor. To make matters even worse, the land of Sofia itself seemed to be dying-harvests were dwindling, forests became graveyards of trees, and rivers that once flowed copiously were now dry and barren. Surrounded by a world of death after death, failure piled upon failure, the Liberation Army-and all the people of Sofia-were starting to lose hope.

Knowing that they needed to do something to bounce back or else be condemned to continued oppression by Dozar, the Liberation Army's leaders searched for a ray of hope to bring back the confidence that they once held. Their search did not go unrewarded when, examining Dozar's executions of the conspirators and his desperate manhunt for Maisen, they found evidence that indicated Dozar was trying to cover up something. Deducing that Maisen was likely the one man whom Dozar feared above all others, the Liberation Army began their own search for him. After gathering rumors from underground sources that placed Maisen in the vicinity of Rahm Village, the Liberation Army sent a young recruit named Luka to find Maisen and recruit him for the cause.

And now the year is 606.


	2. Part 1, Chapter 1

**Part 1, Chapter 1**

"Alm, take a rest. We're done for the day," said Maisen. Alm, doubled over on the ground, gasped for air; that last blow he'd taken had knocked the wind out of him. Once again, he'd been far outclassed in his sword training. "Practice that downward strike later; it still needs a bit of work."

"Right… got it…," choked Alm. Smiling, Maisen crouched down beside him and offered his hand. Alm grinned back and grasped the hand, and Maisen pulled him up.

"Good job today," added Maisen.

Alm nodded in thanks, and, finally catching his breath, he walked into the back room of their house to take off his equipment. Removing his sword, he looked at the many dents and scratches covering it. The edge which had once been clean and straight was now notched and dull from the many blocks and parries Alm had performed with it. Disappointed in his less-than-battle-worthy wooden sword, he returned it to its leather sheath.

Alm peered through the doorway to see if Maisen was looking. He wasn't. Alm dashed over to Maisen's equipment and took out his grandfather's sword. The scabbard was covered with dyed red leather and inlaid with an ornate silver pattern matching the hilt. Alm wrapped his hand around the grip tightly and drew the sword, feeling how heavy it was compared to his own wooden sword. It was clearly well made, as it was almost natural to swing, and the pommel nicely counterbalanced the weight of the blade.

"I could get used to using this," he muttered to himself. "This must've seen tons of battles back when Grandfather was a general." He thought back to all the stories he'd heard growing up about how Maisen was once known as the "Hero of the People," loved by the citizens of Sofia for his heroism and bravery in defending against marauding pirates and brigands on the coast—but that was before he'd been branded a traitor. Now, Maisen was almost universally hated among the Sofian population for killing the royal family, an act which facilitated Dozar's rise to power. Only a small number of people, like those who lived in Rahm and had heard the truth from Maisen himself, still held faith in him.

Alm put the sword back in its scabbard and returned it to its stand, lest Maisen catch him. He walked back to his equipment shelf and removed his leather training armor, revealing the X-shaped mark upon his right shoulder, which caught his attention. _I suppose that thing's not ever going away, is it?_ Alm mused. The mark had been there since birth, but he'd never been too fond of it. He covered it up again with his shirt.

Having finished changing, he walked outside, where he ran into Maisen.

"Grey and Robin stopped by while you were changing," said Maisen. "They said to tell you there's someone visiting the village, and he wants to meet you."

"Someone wants to meet me?" asked Alm. No one ever came to the village to see Alm or Maisen; no one on the outside was supposed to know they were even there. "Did they tell him about me, or did he already know that we were here in Rahm?"

"Knowing Grey and Robin, they probably told him about you. Those idiots…"

A cold chill ran down Alm's spine. Had they been discovered? Did Grey and Robin's let their secret slip? Was it a mistake? Could Dozar's men be waiting in town square, ready to capture him? Could he and Maisen hope to defend against them?

"They assured me, however," continued Maisen, interrupting Alm's thoughts, "that the person was someone trustworthy."

Alm breathed a sigh of relief._ I bet it's a prank. That's just the kind of thing those two would do…_

"Something still doesn't seem right, though," said Maisen. "Do you want me to come along, just to be safe?"

"N-no, it's fine," Alm replied._ If they're going to embarrass me, I don't want Grandfather to be there, too_, he thought. "I'm sure it's nothing too important."

"Hmph. If you say so. Still, be on your guard, understand? And try to knock some sense into those friends of yours. We'd be putting the whole village in danger if we're ever discovered," warned Maisen.

"Got it."

Carrying on his person a knife for self-protection—should it be needed—Alm strode to the village proper, where he was relieved to be greeted by familiar, loud shouting.

"Oi! Alm!" yelled Grey, waving him over. Smiling, Alm jogged up to him and Robin, who was standing nearby talking to a man Alm had never seen before. "Your old man told you, eh? This guy's Luka, and, well—"

"Hey, you're here!" interrupted Robin. "Excellent. Luka over here wants to talk to you, and he—"

Grey interjected, "Yeah, I was just going to tell him about that—"

"Well, the person he _really_ wants to meet is your grandpa."

"He says it's extremely urgent—"

"But we told him—"

"_I_ told him."

"_Grey_ told him it'd be better if gave you the message—"

"And then you can tell Maisen—"

"But it _is_ kind of a touchy subject—"

"I doubt he'll be too happy to hear it."

"But you're naturally the one who knows your grandpa best—"

"So we thought you'd be the best choice—"

"Both of you, shut it," growled Alm. Grey and Robin blinked in bewilderment. "O.K., could just _one_ of you please explain what's going on?"

Luka, who looked quite frustrated himself, stepped forward between Grey and Robin and extended his hand toward Alm.

"Heh… nice to meet you. I'm Luka," he said, shaking Alm's hand. "As your... talkative friends mentioned, I have a message for General Maisen."

"For Grandfather? What sort of message?" said Alm.

"Well, it's like this: King Dozar has neglected his duties to Sofia. The country is starting to fail, and every day more and more people suffer because of his negligence. All this you know, am I correct?"

"Yeah," agreed Alm. _In fact, I understand it way more than you know_.

"Well, I'm a member of an organization that wants to change that."

"You're with the Lib—"

"Yes," Luka interrupted, whispering. Grey and Robin were making hand gestures behind Luka signaling Alm _Don't say "Liberation Army!"_ Alm went up close to the two of them and whispered,

"Are you sure this guy's the real deal?"

"Positive," Robin whispered back.

"How do you know?"

"He brought along a letter with their seal on it. It was signed and everything, too."

"And how exactly would _you _recognize that it's their seal?"

"Well, it's not like Luka's the first rebel soldier we've ever met…"

"Really? You've met others?"

"Oh, sure! They come to town every once and a while, looking for new recru—"

"Hey Alm," Grey interrupted, "Luka's still here."

Alm looked back; Luka was standing rather impatiently, waiting for Alm to finish his private conversation. Alm quickly turned back to Luka.

"Sorry—erm... please continue."

"Well, since we're fighting against Dozar, we believe that having General Maisen, the Hero of the People—and more importantly, Dozar's worst nightmare—on our side would be a great advantage."

"You want Grandfather… to join you? Even though he's been named a traitor?" asked Alm.

"We have... suspicions, you might say, that that is simply another of Dozar's lies to his people."

"Well, kudos to you for figuring it out. How did you know?"

"I'm afraid that information stays with my superiors. I'm simply here to ask for his aid."

_Well, it's good to know the Liberation Army has __reliable__ sources_, thought Alm. "So you want me to ask my grandfather to join you, yes?"

"Not just join, actually—_lead_," Luka said firmly.

Alm was taken aback. "You want Grandfather to... _lead_ the rebellion?"

Luka lowered his voice. "Yes, I plead you; I beg of you, please. He _must_ help us." He bowed, lowered his voice further, and said, "We are losing the war. Dozar's troops outnumber us by the thousands. What's more, the Rigelians have secretly begun supplying the military with additional resources. If your grandfather does not join us, if we do not have stronger leadership... then there will be little hope left for us."

Alm was at a loss for words. This man was _begging_ him to ask for Grandfather's help. Robin and Grey had to snap Alm out of his amazement.

"C'mon, Alm."

"Answer the man."

"Y-yeah… I'll ask him," Alm stammered. It wasn't like Robin or Grey to be so serious. Luka stood up and took Alm's hand with both hands.

"Thank you _very_ much, Alm. You're doing your country a great service."

"I can't make any promises, though," Alm remarked.

Luka paused. "Yes, o-of course. I apologize. We will respect whatever decision he makes," he said.

Running home as fast as his legs could take him, Alm nearly crashed into Maisen when he approached the door.

"Grandfather!" he gasped. "The man... you... lead... the Army..."

"Alm, I'm surprised you haven't fainted today, considering how many times you've had to stop and catch your breath," said Maisen in his usual sarcastic tone.

Alm rested for a few seconds, then continued, "The man I met in the village... he wanted me to ask you to… to _lead_ the Liberation Army!"

Maisen's expression changed from surprised to cross.

"Absolutely not," he asserted. "War is a horrendous thing, and I shall take no more part in it." Alm didn't expect Maisen to have such a quick response, nor that it would be refusal.

"B-but Grandfather!" Alm implored. "You were Sofia's greatest general—the 'Hero of the People!' You even fought against Dozar to defend the royal family!"

Something seemed to hit a nerve in Maisen. He slammed his fist against the wall and roared, "And I failed to protect them! And in case you've forgotten, I'm still wanted for murdering them! I even had to send Cellica away to protect her from Dozar's insane schemes!"

_I remember all to well,_ thought Alm. Maisen, too, had now hit a nerve._ I'm still angry with you for doing that to her. But now's not the time for that..._

"The Liberation Army will be annihilated if you do not help!" continued Alm. Now he was getting angry. How could Maisen not see that the rebels were doing the right thing?

"And I told you I will take no part in it," Maisen repeated slowly. "I've already lost enough because of Dozar and his warmongering."

Livid at Maisen's stubbornness, Alm yelled, "Then... _I_ will join the Liberation Army in your place!"

The words even surprised Alm.

Maisen's face fell.

"It will only bring you sorrow," he said quietly. "In the end, all you will have is pain."

"You're…not going to stop me? You're not forbidding me to go?" Alm wasn't yelling anymore either.

Maisen sighed. "No, I will not stop you. I think… I think you're old enough to decide for yourself what path to take in life. I believe that's what my son would want me to tell you."

"Father…" whispered Alm. Maisen had told Alm long ago that his father, Maisen's son, was killed for harboring Maisen while he was fleeing from Sofia, and it was for that reason that Maisen had taken up the responsibility of raising Alm.

"As much as I'd like to stop you, whatever you choose to do, it is your decision," Maisen said.

Alm gathered all the courage he had and declared,

"Then I am joining the Liberation Army in your place."

Maisen walked up to Alm and slapped him.

"You idiot…" he said. Alm looked away. Maisen wrapped his arms around Alm and embraced him, and he added, "I wish I could keep you here, where you would be safe. But it's time that you made your own decisions. Don't die out there, you understand me?" He let go of Alm and looked him in the eyes. Alm looked back and gave his grandfather a confident smile.

"I promise you, I will return home alive. And victorious."

"Hah, You'd better. Now go pack your things and get going."

"Yes, sir."

Alm gathered his belongings and walked out the door, leaving Maisen alone in the house.

"Well, Alm, it seems that despite my best intentions, you've turned out just as foolhardy and stubborn as your father," he said to himself. He laughed and shook his head.

Alm returned to the village square where Grey, Robin, and Luka were waiting. When Alm approached them, Grey asked,

"What's with the sack, Alm?"

"Going somewhere?" added Robin.

"Yes," he replied. "Luka!"

"Ah, Alm! I trust you spoke with your grandfather?" asked Luka.

"I have."

"And? What did he say?"

"He refused, however—"

Luka sighed, his face falling.

"_However_," Alm continued. "I have decided to join in Grandfather's place."

Luka looked skeptical. "You? I'd be glad to have you as a recruit, but for someone as young as you to be leading the resistance... Are you sure you're qualified enough? And even if you are, are you willing to put in the effort?"

"I don't know if I am qualified to be a leader, but Grandfather has taught me in strategy and combat. And while I'm not nearly as qualified as he is... you've only got me, not him. I know that in all likelihood, this will be the hardest thing I've ever done, but still, I feel like I need to do this. As my grandfather's successor, you might say."

"Well...," said Luka. He thought to himself quietly for a bit. "All right, I'll let you join. I'll be observing you to see the extent of your skills, and I'll let HQ decide whether to accept your status as leader." He reached out to shake Alm's hand again. "Who knows, maybe you'll turn out to be an even better leader than your grandfather."

"All right!" said Robin excitedly. "Sign us up as new recruits, too! Alm, you've always been the ringleader of our little group, so we're not going to just let you go alone. We'll take back Sofia together! Isn't that right, Grey?"

"Right! My little sisters aren't safe in this village with that Dozar on the throne, so it's my responsibility to go kick him off of it! And hey, Luka, while you're at it,"—Grey raised his voice to a yell—"sign Cliff up, too!" Cliff, who had just been passing by, stammered,

"W-what? What am I signing up for?"

"You're not busy, are you? We're joining the Libera—ow!" Grey started, being cut off mid-sentence by Robin, who'd punched him hard in the gut. "Oh, right." Grey winced and lowered his voice. "We're joining the Liberation Army."

"I-I… but… what…?" stuttered Cliff. "W-why exactly am I joining, too?"

"Because Alm here has just been promoted to leader!" said Robin.

"Not officially," said Luka. "We need to get back to headquarters and consult with General Clerve."

"Whaddya say, Cliff? Coming or not?" asked Grey.

"Well…" Cliff thought for a moment. "O.K. Count me in." Robin and Grey cheered. Cliff turned to Alm and Luka and whispered, "But if I get in big danger, you've got to help me out. And though they'd never admit it, those two need help, too. We're not well-trained in fighting like you two are."

Alm and Luka nodded. Alm could overhear Robin and Grey talking excitedly about what sort of adventures they'd get into. _I wonder if those two are really ready to be soldiers_, he thought. _Heck, I don't know if _I'm_ ready to be a soldier myself. I guess all four of us new recruits have quite a bit of learning to do, don't we?_

"All right, we set off at dusk!" announced Luka. "Ready your things and meet me here this evening."


	3. Part 1, Chapter 2

**Part 1, Chapter 2**

"Alm. Wake up." someone whispered loudly into Alm's ear.

"Whuzzgoinon...? Robin?"

"We're not alone here. Luka heard people moving around in the forest."

Alm sat up from his makeshift sleeping pad and looked around. The small clearing they'd decided to rest in _seemed_ tranquil enough, though it was still nighttime, and Alm could only make out the second row of trees into the surrounding woods.

"I can't hear anything but leaves rustling," started Alm, but Luka shushed him. He was a few yards away, listening as hard as he could.

"They've stopped moving," he said. "They're probably deciding what to do now that we've woken up."

Just as Luka finished his sentence, a man charged out from the line of trees and hit Luka squarely in the chest with the butt of an axe. Luka grunted and fell to the ground.

"G-Go! A-after him!" Luka choked out. Alm looked toward the attacker. He'd grabbed one of their sacks and was dashing back toward the trees when—WHAM!

Grey had come seemingly out of nowhere and tackled the man down, and making him smack his head against the hard earth. Grey stood up triumphantly over the now-unconscious thief and gave Alm a wide grin, saying,

"I figured they might make a grab at our bags, and I was right! Ha ha!"

"Nice one, Grey!" said Robin. "Get that axe from him, while you're at it!"

"Wouldn't that make _us_ thieves, then?" said Cliff, who was still crouched on the ground.

"I'm going to call it 'ensuring our safety,'" said Robin. Grey picked up the hatchet, and then nudged the man with his boot. No reaction.

"What're we going to do with him?" asked Grey. Luka, who had recovered, answered,

"If he doesn't wake up, his comrades will retrieve him. If we're lucky, they'll wait until we move on. They may have decided that we're more trouble than we're worth."

It seems that Luka may have been right; the five of them took turns with the watch, but there were no more disturbances that night. In the morning, the man was still out cold where they'd left him. He was still breathing, but unresponsive.

"Are we really just going leave him there?" asked Cliff as they were heading off.

"Yeah," said the other four in unison.

"Don't be such a softie, Cliff!" added Robin. Cliff shrugged.

"Shall we continue, then?" said Grey.

"Indeed," said Luka, "we should get to Headquarters as soon as possible. We also need to find some place where you four can get some actual weapons."

"What, you don't like hatchets or wooden swords?"

They continued traveling for two days without any incident. Hiking, resting, hiking, resting... it felt like an endless cycle to Alm. On the afternoon of the third day, however, they came across a cave that looked like it had recently been inhabited. An investigation, however, yielded no signs of anyone else in the cavern, only the discovery of a fresh water spring. The weather outside was particularly chilling on that day, so they decided to rest in the caves for a while.

Their rest was rudely interrupted, however, when a band of brigands returned to their hideout to find five young men trespassing in it. It only took a few seconds for the situation to turn from bad to worse.

Cliff, Robin, and Alm brandished their swords (wooden though they were), Luka readied his pike, and Grey gripped the axe he'd picked up from the thief he'd knocked out. The first bandit charged at Alm, but the bandit swung his club wide, making it easy to dodge. Alm, adrenaline rushing in his veins, retaliated automatically with a fierce blow to the back of the man's head. Upon impact, there was a sickening crunch and a loud snap—the wooden blade of Alm's sword snapped off of the hilt. The man remained where he was for a fraction of a second, then he went limp and tumbled to the floor of the cave, the wooden blade embedded in the back of his skull. The hilt of Alm's broken sword clattered to the floor of the cave, echoing loudly.

Alm didn't need to check the man's pulse to know that he'd killed him instantly.

Everything around Alm was suddenly blurred. The only thing he could see clearly was the pool of blood slowly forming around the dead man's head. Alm's heartbeat was deafening in his ears; all other sounds were muffled noise, as though he were underwater. He felt someone shaking him, but he couldn't make out whom it was. Not that he really cared. The only thing that mattered now was to that he'd killed a man...

Cliff dragged the resisting Alm over into a corner of the cave. Alm struggled and tried to get back to the dead man, but Cliff threw him to the ground and yelled, "Stay there!" Alm was unresponsive. Figuring that would have to do for now, Cliff ran back to join the others in the fight near the entrance.

Grey and Robin had managed to incapacitate one of the men together, and Luka had given another a grievous wound to the leg. The one of the three remaining bandit was occupying Luka with a flurry of swings of his sword. The other two charged toward Robin and clotheslined him, knocking him flat. Grey struck one of Robin's attackers them unconscious with the blunt end of his hatchet; however he, too, was knocked down by the other man, who then turned toward Cliff. Cliff swung his sword, striking the bandit in the side, but the man grabbed the blade end of the wooden sword and wrenched it from Cliff's hands. He kicked Cliff to the ground, and he drew a knife from his side. He readied it to slash Cliff, when Alm charged the man and hit him in the temple with a forearm strike.

Cliff looked up at Alm and grinned. Alm offered his hand and helped Cliff to his feet. They looked toward the entrance of the cave to see the last bandit on his knees, having surrendered to Luka. Grey and Robin were recuperating on the floor of the cave.

Alm and Cliff helped them up, and they walked out to Luka's side. The man who'd surrendered was stammering:

"G-Go ahead... yeh can take 'er..."

"What are you talking about? There's no one else in these caves!" barked Luka.

"What? Yer not here t'—" He stopped himself short. He looked down, avoiding the looks of his defeaters.

"Well, now you're going to tell us," threatened Robin. The man glared at him, but begrudgingly complied.

"There's... there's an underwater passage in there, an' on th' other side, there's this old shrine place. There's a... a lady there. We caught 'er lost in the forest. She's a sorcerer or summat—we got 'er tied up, but anyone who goes near 'er collapses."

"I'll check it out," said Grey, and dashed back into the cave toward the water spring. Alm turned back to the man.

"Is she all that is behind there?" he asked. The man shifted uneasily.

"We've also got some equipment stored there..."

"Well, I think we'll be helping ourselves to that," said Cliff. Robin raised his eyebrows at him. "It's ensuring our safety!" he said. Alm and Robin laughed.

Luka, taking a more serious tone, said to the man, "Now, if you value your life, get out of my sight, and tell any more of your friends not to pursue us."

The man nodded and ran away, disappearing into the nearby forest. Alm, Luka, Robin, and Cliff headed back toward the cave and dragged out the bandits (though Alm chose not to involve himself in removing the dead man).

The four of them sat down. Alm was the first who spoke.

"I've never taken a life before," he said. Cliff and Robin looked down. Luka said to him,

"Alm, I was once a soldier for the Sofian Army, and I've trained dozens of soldiers for Sofia and for the Liberation Army. No one is happy with himself after having killed another man. But it is our duty as soldiers, and we will have to take more lives in the future. That goes for you two as well, Robin, Cliff. You must steel yourselves against fear. Remember what we have set out to achieve: the Liberation of Sofia.

"Guys!" said Grey's head, which had just popped out of the water spring. "You've got to come check this out!"


End file.
